Holding Pattern

Car Issue

=

No Yoga

+

Rain, Rain and More Rain


=

Reading or Reading\Bathing, & Watching Stuff on Netflix...

Can't go to yoga? Read about it.

Still raining...

Oatmeal, Coffee, Yoga

My aunt Debbie texted me before 8:00 a.m. to find out my brother and nephew's itinerary plus wanted to know what we were doing.

Before eight and rain = not a creature stirring. Debbie then wanted to know about my plans.

Plans = oatmeal, coffee and yoga.

The rain made me want to stay inside but I also knew that I didn't want to stay in the house all day so I headed out to practice yoga.

One of the first things that Lizzie said was Feel the energy in your head soften and the energy did soften.

Lizzie is serious about what she does and has intense but soft energy. I had tears in my eyes at the end of practice and it was so quiet after Namaste that you could hear a pin drop. And, really, there was nothing that needed to be said although I did think that I'd made the best decision ever by going to midday yoga.

New Plans

Christmas? At Trader Joe's

Went to restorative yoga on Friday and walked in as Liz explained to two newbies of the male persuasion what a restorative yoga class looked liked. Thought about Gingerzingi when Liz said "...It's not an active class."

Emailed Patti and Alison to let them know that I was on the bench for the rest of the year. Patti's response:

No Zumba? No climbing? How can that be Christmas?

I consoled myself by sniffing essental oil testers at Whole Paycheck. Seriously, Now's Cheer Up Buttercup! is delightful.

Went to get a massage and had the therapist concentrate on my quads, hamstrings and calf muscle of the tight knee leg and it helped...

Had planned to fix Singapore Noodles with Pan-Fried Tofu for Monday but found out that my brother and one of my nephews are coming to town so I'm not going to take up precious refrigerator real estate with a meal that, most likely, only I will eat. Time to draw up new plans...

State of the Ankle

Stopped wearing my foot brace prematurely because my ankle was golf ball size again. Ice, ibuprofen, yadda yadda yadda. At least my knee isn't quite so tight anymore...

Yesterday

Went to the gentlest of gentle yoga classes after work. Effort-wise, it was somewhere between gentle and restorative and, during savasana, the teacher came around and dabbed essential oil on our hands AND there was a piece of gingerbread cake on the end of our mats. She said that it wasn't vegan or gluten-free but that it had good ingredients.

The teacher, new to me, was celebrating winter solstice early since she won't be able to do it because of the holiday schedule next week...

One of my colleagues suggested that I do Pilates since I wouldn't have to stand while doing it but I think that it's more break time for me. The swimming pool that I go to is connected with a school and is on break and I don't want to do anything more energetic right now so gentle yoga it is.

The Reverse

Sweet knee release...

Woke up this morning and the area around my kneecap was better. It had been so tight.

Checked in on Instagram and saw a pic that Gayle King posted of her daughter getting a stretch which was pretty much happy baby pose and it's one of the poses that we did in yoga class yesterday so I stopped, dropped and did happy baby pose again hoping for the tightness to release even more.

One might also call this situation Lazy Woman's Yoga too...

Ankle was swollen after work so no exercise but I did venture out to 7:30 p.m. yoga. Joy had twists and binds on the agenda. Not sure that I made it halfway through class. Could not manage pigeon, lunges etc. so I took off my glasses and assumed the position -- reverse corpse pose. Moved when it was time for reclining twists and savasana. Not sure why I moved...

Yes

Decided to take advantage of the weather and hit the riverfront trail. Don't think that I've ever bicycled in December and don't think that I've ever encountered so many trains while trying to access the road to the trail. Ended up hopping on the highway and going to where we usually end our ride and it made me have a whole new appreciation for the mileage that Alison, Connie and I have put in.

We all have fitness goals that we haven't hit but I'm proud of us for the times that we've bicycled on that trail -- 16 miles at a time or more.

Having to take another route was also a lesson in going with the flow and/or trying something new and not giving up because of an obstacle.

I got in nine miles and the ankle faired well except for the few times that I had to go over railroad tracks.

A brief digression... See the whole in my shoe? My Nikes are about a year old. They don't make them like they used to...

I'm about half way through Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes.

Interesting that I arrived at this section today:

Losing yourself happens one no at a time. No to going out tonight...No to making a new friend. Losing yourself happens one pound at a time. 

The part that had me cracking up a page later is when Rhimes reveals that she parted from a personal trainer because he said "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!"

Who says that to a fat woman?

No Pressure

Rope Wreath

As Patti and I walked into the climbing gym last night, she said I forgot to take my ibuprofen...

Patti is so good at climbing and, in general, not a complainer so I sometimes forget that she has arthritis.

Of all the activities that I've been easing back into, I had the most apprehension about climbing. In fact, just call me the world's most careful climber. Thought I would be able to wear my foot brace but there's not much room in climbing shoes for anything other than feet so I cautiously made my way up four routes.

Ankle is a little throbby today but that might be the new normal for a while.

In some respects, it has been nice to have a break and go slow. I'm been exercising almost non-stop for eight years  and approaching activities in an easy manner ups the level of efficiency and makes me concentrate more on form.

I've been in a no pressure state of mind.

Went to a Yoga Buzz play date at Title Boxing tonight and knew that I would be in for a rabid cardio kind of class mixed with boxing. I remained still during moves that I thought would compromise my ankle but I had fun punching. My upper body was all bunched up when I finished but I was reminded of how good of a workout boxing can be. I was also reminded that you must have your own gloves if you're serious about boxing. Gym gloves are disgusting...

Slowly

Took a slow, twenty minute walk yesterday and also went to yoga. Love the 7:30 p.m. slot. It's a great way to decompress from the gut-punch of Monday and is also a good way to get centered again and it's so relaxing. It's a basic class so nothing too fancy or intense happens.

Joy said something about being worthy -- just because you're human and sometimes you need to hear that -- at least I do. A simple truth but...

Went swimming tonight and the female youth coach greeted me warmly as she usually does. You look good she said. I was taken aback because I don't feel good. I feel all creaky and whatnot. Ankle feels better but I was overcompensating with right side and now my upper right leg etc. is all bunched up and throbby.

Got in 16 laps again and my body feels more balanced so I'm confident that everything will sort itself out.

Nixing Yoga, Not

Yes, yes...it's a Jamaica towel.

It was short fuse Friday for me and that was before I got to work.

Knew that I needed yoga but was tempted to go straight home after work. Nixing yoga was not very good self-care and I also thought of something that Rosie told me once when I said that I was crabby and, therefore, going to yoga. That's what it's there for, she said.

And, so, I went to restorative yoga. Liz told us to start one way with two bolsters on the ground  -- if we were feeling over stimulated and to place a block underneath a bolster etc. if we were feeling depleting. I went with the set-up that would help with feelings of depletion and I definitely felt better after emerging from that pratice.

The babying paid off  because my ankle is better. I went swimming today and it felt so good but I stopped at 16 laps because I didn't want to push my luck.

Hopefully, luck will help me find my new glasses which I had up until abou 6:00 p.m...

A Few More Days

My Instagram inspiration for the day from Acting On A Dream's account:

You must take personal responsibility.
You cannot change
the circumstances,
the seasons or the wind,
but you can change yourself.
That is something
you have charge of.
Jim Rohn

Thought about going swimming on Tuesday but decided to wait until the weekend. My ankle is better, a tiny bit swollen and, if turned in a certain, smarts a bit so I wanted to give it a few more days to heal.

Apparently, not having a schedule frees up my time for more lunch and dinner dates.

Went to lunch with a colleague yesterday and had something decadent then went to dinner with one of my yoga retreat buddies and had something more sensible. We were actually supposed to have a cooking date but circumstances changed for both of us and going to Lulu's seemed to be more sensible.

Of course, we reminisced about the retreat and it makes me want to start a travel wish list...

By the way, I sprained my ankle by stepping into the situation below. Only, it was covered by more leaves. I pushed aside some leaves in case I needed to upload a picture to the citizen's bureau.

How Falls Happen

Not sure why I didn't think to call the city when I spotted the uneven surface while raking the first batch of leaves but I called the city on Monday and I was very happy to see the truck as I got in my car to head to work yesterday.

Street Division

Flipping the Page or Month-End Review, November

Looked at my calendar yesterday and was surprised that it was time to flip the page. Hadn't even thought about the month-end review because there's been nothing to mark on the calendar for a few days but November was beautiful and memorable.

I keep track of my exercise with iPod Notes and I have entries like Walk to the lighthouse...Walk on the beach... Walk to the Rock House... Hike (short but steep).

One day I went for a walk down the beach and this Jamaican said Where are you running off to? It was funny to me because I never run. Plus, I knew that he wanted to chitchat about wares and whatnot...

Looking forward to walking again at my regular pace whether or not I'm perceived as running or strolling.

10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts
*Upper Body, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Knockout Body
*Knockout Body Blast, 1 x

Country Line Dance Party!
*Ride 'em Cowboys, 1 x
*Scoot Them Boots, 2 x's

Dance It Off & firm up!
*Rock It, 1 x

Just Walk: Mix & Match Walk Blasters
*Light Walk

Just Walk: The Tone Every Zone Walk
*Upper Body Circuit, 2 x's

Leaf Raking, 1 x

Swimming, 6 x's

Walking, 21 x's

Walking on Unknown Jamaican Beach, From Shared Album (Unknown Photographer)

Yoga, 15 x's

Zumba, 3 x's

March of the Yogis, Negril-Style 

Joy a.k.a. Boss Lady, Carol & Whitney at the Lighthouse